Conventionally, when the psychosomatic condition of a person to be diagnosed (hereinafter, referred to as a “subject”) is evaluated, physiological conditions such as blood pressure, pulse, perspiration, reaction of the pupil and the like, and carbon dioxide concentration in expiration are measured. A person who gives diagnosis (hereinafter, referred to as a “diagnosing person”) with respect to the subject asks appropriate detailed questions about the condition of the subject, based on the measurement results, and understands these based on his experience and knowledge, to evaluate the psychosomatic condition of the subject.
When the mind and body condition of the subject is evaluated, it is necessary to measure the physiological condition of the subject. However, at the time of measurement of the physiological condition, it is necessary to bring sensors required for the measurement into contact with the body of the subject or attach the sensors to the subject. Hence, the measurement is not handy, and also gives stress to the subject, thereby decreasing the reliability of the measurement result itself.
In order to prevent a decrease in the reliability, Japanese Patent No. 3151489 discloses apparatus for diagnosing tiredness or doziness of the subject by voice. In this invention, a change in the physiological condition (for example, the fatigue degree or doze) of the subject is captured by measurement of the obtained voice with the lapse of time.
In other words, in this invention, voice is obtained by the apparatus for detecting the fatigue degree or doze, and a Lyapunov index is calculated from the voice and compared with a Lyapunov index of the past condition such as tiredness or doziness of the subject, to thereby obtain the physiological condition of the subject.
However, when the objective evaluation with respect to the psychosomatic condition is calculated, the response of the subject with respect to questions and the like from the diagnosing person (that is, the voice uttered by the subject with respect to the questions and the like) becomes one of the important factors. However, it cannot be obtained in this invention. Moreover, the questions and the like asked to the subject should be appropriate corresponding to the subject, but it is not applicable to this invention. In other words, if the same thing is to be performed as in the present invention by using this invention, the diagnosing person should have sufficient experience, consider and ask appropriate questions based on the experience by himself.
The psychosomatic condition of the subject can be evaluated more accurately, not by simply asking questions and the like to the subject by the diagnosing person in an interview as before, but by giving the subject the false impression that he/she is under some circumstances, to intentionally put the subject in circumstances (for example, relaxed situation, or situation under tension or stress) desired by the diagnosing person and observing the reaction of the subject (voice of the subject with respect to the questions). But it is also not applicable to this invention. That is, the diagnosing person cannot control the situation of the subject.